Earth Hour is a global initiative where individuals and businesses switch off their lights for an hour from 8:30pm to take a symbolic stand against climate change. And so, on March 29, George Town went dark.
Town Hall was buzzing with activity. Music and performances captivated the crowd, many of whom were visiting the various booths, sampling food. Squeals of delight broke through the air when a panda, WWF’s adorable mascot, made an appearance.
It was Earth Hour 2014 at the Esplanade, the first collaborative event between WWF and the Penang state government. The occasion, which included an inaugural 3.5km night walk, was aimed at engaging thousands of Penangites to, in the words of WWF-Malaysia’s conservation director Dr Ramakrishna, “Raise greater awareness of green living among Penangites and tourists in the city today and beyond”.
Many were pleasantly surprised when Penang state executive councillor for Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Chow Kon Yeow joined the main event. He was there to fulfil the pledge he made to walk the entire 3.5km with us that night if the number of registered participants reached 1,000.
